


Some Bunny Loves You

by zombiekittiez



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Getting Together, Keith angst but for like three lines, M/M, Modern magic AU, POV Keith (Voltron), Shiro is bunny, c'mon its keith, look ma more procrastination fic, twitter thread inspo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:54:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27091591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombiekittiez/pseuds/zombiekittiez
Summary: “I said I would always look out for him,” Keith says with steadfast loyalty, his shoulders back and gaze clear, every inch the hero. The look is only a little spoiled when Bunny-Shiro pokes his nose over the crook of Keith’s arms where he’s cradled against that firm chest, wriggling his little bunny nose curiously at the world.“I’m not sure that’s exactly how Shiro took it,” Allura points out reasonably.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 51
Kudos: 186





	Some Bunny Loves You

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this](https://twitter.com/NoBeardSa/status/1317824079542431750) twitter thread when I was supposed to be working on trickorsheith things.

“I said I would always look out for him,” Keith says with steadfast loyalty, his shoulders back and gaze clear, every inch the hero. The look is only a little spoiled when Bunny-Shiro pokes his nose over the crook of Keith’s arms where he’s cradled against that firm chest, wriggling his little bunny nose curiously at the world. 

“I’m not sure that’s exactly how Shiro took it,” Allura points out reasonably. 

“He’s a rabbit, Keith.” Pidge says, blunt as ever. “He’s not _Shiro_ right now. He’ll turn back at the next full moon, and until then he’ll just be a silly rabbit.”

“Oh _you_ sure know a lot about it, considering you’re the one who turned him into that in the first place!” Lance accuses, waggling his eyebrows damningly. 

“Yes, well, I told you that spell was still in its experimental phase. If we are going to defeat the demon Zarkon and his Alchemical Witch, we’re going to have to take a few risks along the way. Voltroni magic hasn’t been actively practiced for thousands of years.” Pidge adjusts her eyeglasses so that they catch the light, neatly sidestepping any responsibility from their small furry mishap. 

“Ten thousand,” Allura agrees, a touch sad, and nobody likes that so Lance lets it go. 

“We could take turns? Ooh, like a class pet!” Hunk looks enthused. “What do bunnies eat?” 

Pidge shrugs. “Matt keeps a couple of rabbits, we could keep him in the hutch.” 

Keith recoils visibly, taking a full step backward, elbows jutting out as though physically warding the others away from his small precious burden. “He’s not an _animal._ ” 

“He kind of is,” Lance disagrees, with the unique rare pleasure he takes from getting to be correct in public.

“He’s still _Shiro,_ ” Keith says with finality, and that is that. 

Keith’s first stop is the big pet supply store on the way back to his apartment. There’s a spare collar and lead in the car for Kosmo and a little creative application of his knife and knot tying skills, he’s fashioned a crude harness for Bunny-Shiro that he’s rather proud of. Bunny-Shiro accepts the manhandling pragmatically and a few minutes later the two of them are strolling through the aisles, Keith careful to steer the cart away from soft crushable bunny toes. He moves slowly, since Bunny-Shiro’s uneven gait is wobbly on three paws.

“Do you need any help?” A soft voice asks. Keith glances up. A pretty girl with long blonde hair twisted in a complex crown of braids and trailing down into twin tails blinks at him gently. She might be new- Keith doesn’t remember her from his previous visits down the dog food aisle.

“Ah, no thanks,” Keith says automatically. 

The girl’s eyes focus on Bunny-Shiro. “We get cats on leashes sometimes, but never rabbits. It’s nice that you give him so much freedom.” 

“You can tell he’s a boy?” Keith asks. 

“Oh! Yes, sorry… I assumed. He’s a bit small. And I guess I just had a feeling?” She nervously tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I like rabbits. I’ve never seen a Blanc de Hotot in person before, they’re rare.” 

“Really?” Keith’s posture relaxes. This… Romelle, he notes from her nametag, seems like a godsend- a rabbit expert when he needs one most. “Actually, maybe you can help me. I’ll be caring for this rabbit for the next month and it’s sort of unexpected. I want to make sure he has everything he needs to be comfortable and happy for the time he’s with me.” His smile turns warm at the thought. Bunny-Shiro will want for nothing. Romelle blushes a little and Keith wonders fleetingly if his awkwardness has made her uncomfortable. He hopes not. He comes by often with Kosmo and she seems like a nice enough girl. 

“Ouch.” Keith says mildly, glancing down. Bunny-Shiro has reared back, soft paws against the top of Keith’s shoe, blunt bunny teeth nipping at the skin of his exposed ankle. A single bead of blood wells up and runs into his sock. “Not nice,” he tells Bunny-Shiro, leaning down to scoop him up. Bunny-Shiro leans into the hold readily. “If you wanted to be picked up, you could have just _said._ ” 

“He’s so cute,” Romelle says, leaning in to look at Bunny-Shiro better, but not making any attempt to touch or crowd the animal. Nor does she mention the soft furred space where his forepaw should be. It makes Keith like her all the more. “And I’m honored to help.” 

It’s a not insubstantial amount of money later that Keith loads up his beat up pick up truck with new purchases and heads back to his place. Still, Shiro is worth it in any form, and Keith can just pick up a few more pizza delivery shifts this week if he needs the cash. 

Keith decides that settling Shiro in first takes priority, so he takes one bag and his precious furry burden up the four flights of stairs to his rickety apartment. He’s never actually had Shiro over before- why would he, when his place is such a dump? But Bunny-Shiro won’t mind and his neighbors mind their own business. Keith opens the door and Kosmo raises his head from where it rests against the couch arm. 

_Welcome home._

“Thanks,” Keith closes the door carefully. “Careful about your true form.” 

_I could smell you coming up the stairs,_ Kosmo yawns, bored. The devil-dog that serves as Keith’s familiar usually maintains a perfectly respectable glamour as a cheerful husky mix, but now his enormous form sprawls over the entire couch, blue and purple fur like nebulas. It’s a lot less gorgeous stuck to all of Keith’s clothes and upholstery, honestly. 

_Is that dinner?_ Kosmo asks, ears raising with interest. Bunny-Shiro tucks his face into the crook of Keith’s elbow so that he can feel the ticklish brush of Bunny-Shiro’s whiskers against the soft skin there. 

“Most definitely not,” Keith says emphatically. “And I’m sure you know damn well that this is Shiro.” 

Kosmo puts his head back down, closing his eyes dismissively. _No fun at all._

“If you wanted fun, you should have bonded with Lance.” Keith settles Bunny-Shiro on the poor excuse for a dining room table Keith had dragged out of an alley a few months back. 

Kosmo snorts. _Well. At least you finally managed to bring a guy home._

“You know, I’m starting to think you don’t even deserve this rawhide bone.” Keith says with an exaggerated sigh. Kosmo perks up again. “That’s what I thought, smart guy.” Keith smirks. “Keep an eye on him while I get the bags out of the car and I’ll throw in a half a jar of peanut butter.” 

_Deal._ Kosmo obediently trots over to the dining room table while Keith heads back down to the parking lot. 

~~

It takes a few hours to bunny-proof Keith’s apartment. He covers wires and baseboards as best he can, setting up a pen to direct Shiro’s activities in the center of the studio flat. Keith could not care less if the furniture gets gnawed to dust, but he’d hate for Bunny-Shiro to get a tummy ache from paint chips or cheap ply board. There’s bedding and feed stations and everything that Romelle had suggested. There’s no kennel or gate to close the pen- Keith figures that after everything with the Galra demonic possession, Bunny-Shiro deserved as much autonomy as possible in the circumstances. 

_Don’t rabbits make a mess?_ Kosmo asks with distaste. 

“Shiro would never,” Keith assures him. And Bunny-Shiro uses the litter box properly, like a gentleman. 

When Keith fixes himself a quick stir fry for dinner, he sets aside some bok choy, carrot tops and celery to fix a little bunny-sized salad. He carries two plates of stir fry and the small salad fixed on a small chipped saucer to the dining room table. Kosmo sits in the space across where he usually goes, enormous enough to not even need a chair, and Bunny-Shiro is on the table proper, nibbling at his salad. 

“My life is kind of weird, isn’t it?” Keith asks no one in particular. Kosmo snorts again, muzzle deep in stir fry. With a shrug, Keith digs in. 

After cleaning up and taking a quick shower, Keith is brushing his teeth at the sink when he feels a soft bump at his ankle. He looks down and Bunny-Shiro is gently headbutting against Keith’s ankle, pausing to look up and up and up at him between taps. 

“Mm?” Keith asks encouragingly. He leans down and picks Bunny-Shiro up, putting him on the sink. To Keith, Bunny-Shiro is welcome anywhere he likes, of course, but being a rabbit must be new and disorienting, probably. Keith has never tried it himself. And Bunny-Shiro seems shy of trying more than a gentle lope, possibly a bit embarrassed by his lack of balance with his missing paw. Bunny-Shiro watches with interest as Keith spits and rinses, leaning over to lap politely at the water trickling from the sink before Keith cuts it off. 

“Bed time,” Keith tells Bunny-Shiro. “I’ve made you a spot on the floor, and there’s the couch, or…” he hesitates. 

Bunny-Shiro chirrups. It startles Keith a little- it’s the first time he’s heard Bunny-Shiro vocalize at all. 

_The bed, I think._ Kosmo pads to his spot at the foot of Keith’s bed- a queen-sized with nice fresh sheets, his one indulgence in a spartan space. 

“I might roll over on him.” Keith says worriedly. 

_Rabbits are fast._ Kosmo settles into his spot. 

No, Keith decides. Better not risk it. Keith puts Bunny-Shiro on the pile of soft bedding on the floor. Then he clicks off the light and slides into bed. For a few moments everything is quiet and still. 

Then a soft _whump._ Keith starts. Again, _whump._ It actually shakes the mattress with the impact a little. A low unhappy sound, between a whine and growl, starts up from the ground. Keith can feel Kosmo’s amusement though the devil-dog keeps his eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. Keith clicks on his bedside lamp and looks down. 

Bunny-Shiro stares up at him defiantly from the floor. With great dignity, he takes a few mincing steps back, bracing himself against the floor. Then he hops. The angle is poor and his balance is off- poor Bunny-Shiro crashes face first into the side of the mattress with a _whump._ He lands back on the floor and shakes his small furry head, dazed at the impact, and gives another displeased little growl. 

“Hey, no! No, no. You’re gonna hurt yourself. I’m sorry, here-” Keith reaches down and Bunny-Shiro hops into his cupped hands. Keith brings Bunny-Shiro up to the bed, putting him on the other side, between Keith and the wall. For a moment they just look at each other. Bunny-Shiro seems settled now, with an air of smugness. 

“Sorry,” Keith says again. “I know you’re a person. You probably don’t want to sleep on the floor. I was just worried.” He leans over and clicks off the light, laying back down and getting comfortable.

“You’re the first guy I’ve ever slept with,” Keith says, a little sleepy joke just before he nods off. 

In the morning, Keith wakes with a small bundle of white fur tucked up against the side of his neck. Bunny-Shiro noses lazily at Keith’s hair, nibbling the ends in a way that tugs him gently awake. Keith brings his arm around slowly, curling his hand around Bunny-Shiro and cradling him against Keith’s neck. It takes him a moment to blink the sleep away, lose in a haze of waking and affection that seems unreal for all its strength.

“Good morning,” Keith says with feeling. Bunny-Shiro snuffles against Keith’s ear with a happy chirrup.

~~

“Let me get this straight,” Lance says, voice annoyingly bright even through the phone. “You want us to bunny-sit?” 

“No,” Keith says. “I want Hunk to keep Shiro company while I’m at work. You just happen to live there.” 

There’s a minor scrabbling for the phone and then Hunk takes over again. “Am I the first person you asked?” Hunk demands. 

“Well, yeah.” Keith blinks in surprise. “You’re the best company.” 

Hunk squeals. “I want that on a _shirt!_ You betcha buddy, bring Shiro-Bunny by anytime. I’m already home by the time you head out.” 

“I’ll have Kosmo use the teleportation circles,” Keith explains. “The truck eats too much gas to take on deliveries and the bike’s not exactly rabbit-safe.” 

“Cool cool cool,” Hunk agrees. “Do you think he’ll like carrot cake?” 

“Sugar isn’t good for rabbits,” Keith says firmly. He glances down at Bunny-Shiro in the cardboard box carrier, whose ears droop sadly.

“Aw, come on Keith.” Lance again. “A little a carrot cake, as a treat.” 

Bunny-Shiro lets out a low forlorn cheep. 

Keith sighs. “....Fine.”

~~

 _You could, you know._

Kosmo ignores his plate of pork cutlets to stare at Keith across the table. Kosmo loves pork cutlets, so this must be serious. 

“Could what?” Keith mumbles halfheartedly. He steals a glance at Bunny-Shiro, calmly nibbling at the cabbage-kale slaw to his right. 

_Could have this… companionship. When Shiro is in his true form again._

Keith shakes his head. “He wouldn’t want to,” he says, voice warm as he watches the rabbit eat. 

_You are close._

Keith shakes his head again. “Not like this. Not… meals and beds together close. Shiro doesn’t want that.” Bunny-Shiro pauses over his dish. “Finish your salad and I’ll cut up some apples for dessert,” Keith wheedles, tapping the table in front of the dish. Bunny-Shiro dips his head obediently. 

_Not Shiro then. Someone else could love you._ Kosmo seems strangely insistent. _You’re worthy of love._

Keith smiles. “I love you too, buddy.” He tells Kosmo, who huffs in annoyance. “But, uh… that kind of thing. It was always going to be Shiro or bust, you know?” Keith scritches the soft spot behind Bunny-Shiro’s ears. “So it’s fine.” 

~~

Two weeks after Pidge’s spell goes awry, Keith wakes up warm. It’s not the warm he’s used to- fur in his face from a little white rabbit or crushed under Kosmo’s shaggy bulk. It’s warm all along his back, curled around at the waist. Like being held, he thinks, if he’d ever been held. What a nice dream. 

There’s a kiss, ghost-thin and pressed against the back of his neck. 

Keith sleeps. 

In the morning, he’s still warm. He stretches a little, taking in the brightness of the light streaming in through the gap in the curtain. His toes reach the end of the bed, so Kosmo must be off on important devil-dog business today. He pats the bed, looking for Bunny-Shiro. No ball of fluff curled under his chin or in his hair. Instead his hand lands on a smooth forearm tucked around Keith’s waist. 

Keith freezes. 

“Mm,” a voice rumbles next to his ear. A familiar voice, a familiar arm. 

“Shiro?” Keith whispers. 

“Love you,” Shiro murmurs against the back of Keith’s neck.

Keith gasps. He brings a hand up to stifle the sound but it’s too late. Behind him, Shiro stirs. Keith starts to pull away but the arm around his waist maintains its grip, steady and sure. Taking a deep, grounding breath, Keith rolls over instead. Shiro blinks a few times, then squints. He leans in and nuzzles against the side of Keith’s face, burying his face against Keith’s neck. 

Keith has always, always loved Shiro. He’d taken one look at Shiro all those years ago, with his talk about _magic_ and _mysticism_ and _changing your life_ and had thought this would be his last straw. He’d stolen Shiro’s car with its gaudy advertisement for psychic readings stencilled on the side and figured that this was it- fast track to life in prison, just where everyone knew he was headed anyway. Keith “Cursed” Kogane. He’d always known that Shiro was going to be important to him- the thing that damned him, and then later the thing that redeemed him. He loves Shiro, _loves Shiro_ as much a fact of living as paying rent or breathing oxygen. It had just never occurred to Keith that Shiro might love him back. That loving Keith was as much a part of who Shiro is that it would transcend form and function, past all magical interference. 

Every time that Bunny-Shiro had chirruped, he’d been telling Keith he loves him. 

“Welcome back,” Keith says gently, cupping the back of Shiro’s head and holding him close. 

“Oh.” Shiro starts at the touch. “ _Oh._ ” He sounds so pleased. “I’m me.”

“You’re you.” Keith agrees. 

Shiro pulls back to look at him, beaming. “Pidge calculated wrong for once. New Moon reversal of a Full Moon spell.” 

Keith nods along absently then stops. “Wait- you remember that? When she said that?” 

“I,” Shiro says importantly. “Remember _everything._ ” Keith stares. “Rabbits have excellent hearing, actually.” Shiro adds. 

“ _No,_ ” Keith groans, pulling a pillow over his face. 

__“Yep!” Shiro says cheerfully, nosing it away. “And I have to say that I’m honored.”_ _

__“Oh?” Keith asks, already regretting it. He looks up at Shiro, propped over him._ _

__“To be the first guy you’ve slept with.” Shiro teases._ _

__“You’re a lot of firsts,” Keith admits, trying to ignore his flush- and the fact that Shiro, fur-less, is extremely naked. “First friend, first love, first kiss-”_ _

__“Kiss?” Shiro interrupts hopefully._ _

__“Well…” Keith drops his gaze demurely._ _

__Their first kiss tastes of alfalfa grass, and it’s objectively perfect._ _


End file.
